Finders Keepers (Voyager) [Paperback]

Will Lipkind (Author), Mordvinoff Nicolas (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Voyager

Two dogs find one bone and have difficulty deciding which of them owns it. “Here is a perfect combination of rollicking story and pictures that have strength, life and humor in every line.”--The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

Review

Two dogs find one bone and have difficulty deciding which of them owns it. Here is a perfect combination of rollicking story and pictures that have strength, life and humor in every line.-- (The Horn Book )

About the Author

William Lipkind (December 17, 1904 in New York City - October 2, 1974) was an American author most famous for his picture book collaborations, under the pseudonym Will,[1] with Nicholas Mordvinoff. Before his writing and illustrating career, he was already an established anthropologist, graduating from Columbia in 1937.

(1911–73). Russian-born artist Nicolas Mordvinoff received the Caldecott Medal in 1952 for his illustrations to Finders Keepers, a story of two dogs trying to decide which should get a found bone. The book was one of many Mordvinoff created with author William Lipkind; the pair used the pen names Nicolas and Will.

Mordvinoff was born on Sept. 27, 1911, in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (August 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156309505
• ISBN-13: 978-0156309509
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A bizarre tour de force., March 21, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finders Keepers (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

Using a beautiful amalgam of line, space, and form, this 1952 Caldecott winner is truly worth of the award it won so long ago. In this simple story, two dogs (Nap and Winkle) dig up a bone together in the yard. The two find themselves unable to determine who the bone belongs to, however, due to the fact that Nap saw it first and Winkle touched it first. The dogs then proceed to ask a variety of different people (a farmer, a goat, an apprentice barber) who the bone belongs to. The people they ask, however, each have their own agendas and leave the dogs no wiser than before. It's only after the two ask a fellow dog that they come to a single conclusion about the bone's rightful owner.

Ostensibly, this is a book about sharing. But I like to think the plot is a little more complex than that. Sure, sharing comes into it, but the story really seems to show how people are only interested sometimes in satisfying their own needs, rather than the needs of others. Even the big dog at the end is more partial to the bone for his own purposes than the purposes of Nap and Winkle. So what we have here is a deceptively simple plot wrapped in an easy to understand package. The plot alone is enough to keep it memorable for years to come, but then you get to the illustrations. Ladies and gentlemen, I need only direct you to the first title page spread show how adept and spectacular this book truly is. This picture displays all the characters in the book interacting in interesting ways. All well and good, but the impressive nature of the picture comes through when you realize they've all been drawn against a black background. Suddenly the illustrator is using negative space in creative new ways (as well as placing the colors you'll find in the book as outlines). This is really a remarkable story. Only the colors red, black, white, and yellow appear in the illustrations but their adept combinations make the book both a fascinating look at 1950s design as well as the perfect compliment to a great story. On the whole, I give this book two thumbs way way up. I can't promise you that the book hasn't grown a little dated over the years, but the kids who loved it back in the day will be equal in numbers to the kids who love it today.

4.0 out of 5 stars Finders Keepers, March 21, 2011

By 

Debra Green - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Finders Keepers (Voyager) (Paperback)

I read this book at a family book night. The children and parents enjoyed the story. It is a Caldecott winner so that was a part of the presentation as well.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, March 29, 2010

By 

Mrs. Leeann E. Wisdom (Phila, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finders Keepers (Voyager) (Paperback)

What a great book!
I bought it on a whim and am so glad I did.
Teaches a good lesson about coming to an agreement and sharing and not worrying so much about how I can get what I want but how we can all get what we want.
My 2 year old son loves it and sometimes just randomly blurts out "Bone? Who cares about a bone?"